Harm Reduction: Safer Use Strategies

A harm reduction approach recognizes just how difficult stopping opioid use can be. Even though opioid use can cause harm in people's’ lives, it also helps them in certain ways, which means it's hard to “just stop.”

Harm reduction recognizes that completely stopping the use of a certain substance is one way to reduce harm, however, it is not the ONLY way to reduce harm. Harm reduction approaches focus on the fact that people need support, resources, and education to stay safer and alive even when they are not interested in or ready to reduce or stop using substances.